Chain-link opening and closing device



F. A'. CALKINS.

CHAIN LINK OPENING AND CLOSING DEVICE- APPLICATION FILED APR. 17.1922.

1,438,216, 7 Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

Patented Dec. 12, 1922.

UNHTEB earns-r" I iaaane CHAIN-LINK OPENING AND CLOSING DEVICE' Applicationfilsfl. April 17,

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that Fnnnnnron A. CiiLnms, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Waterbury in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ghain- LinkOpening and Closing evices, ofwhich the following isa specification. I

My invention relates to new and improvements. in chain-link opening and; closing devices, such as are adapted for opening and closing the eye portions of wire chain-links.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive form of tool, whereby the eyes of wire links such as are com monly employed for the attachment of cross chains, in non-skid chains, so as to simplify the task and lessen the time required in replacing broken cross-chains of the above class. Further to provide a device of the kind specified which will be equally well adapted for opening and closing other forms of wire links as may be necessary for the lengthening and shortening of wire chains or for the connection of two or more chains together.

With these and other-objects in view the invention resides and consists in the construction and novel combination and. arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appendechit being understood that various changes in the form, proportion size v k cured to the bed plate 5. and is, arranged and minor details of construction within the scope of the claim may be resorted to without departure from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Similar characters of reference denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and upon which,

Fig. 1 shows a front perspective view of my improved chain-link opening and closing device having a wire chain-link positioned therein;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe device shown in Fig. 1 including a chain-link and showing a removable handle for operating the cam;

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the front portion only of the device shown in 1922. Serial No. 553,575.

Fig.1, the chain-link being in position to be operated on to open its eyes rather thanclosing them as suggested by Fig.1, and

ig. at shows of a wire link such asis commonly employed as an end link in cross chains for the attachment of thesame to the side chains, of

. i a non-skid chain of the Weed type. useful I [is will be noted from-the drawing my device is comparatively simplein construe tion and is designed as a portable tool, adapted to-be positionedupon a work table a detached perspective viewv or bench for hand-operations It is further constructed so as to have" more power and a larger rangeof usefulness than thatobtained by theordinary simple form of pincher ortongs as are now commonlyemployed for.

opening and closing cross-chain links.

Referring in detail to the characters of reference marked upon the drawings,l5 rep resents an elongated bed plate which in practice is designed to form the-base of the tool, to be seated or. positioned upon a work benchv when inoperation, The top side ofthe fo ward end portion of this plate is provided with two longitudinal recessesd. and barf;

ranged side by side and at proper distances apart to'receive the eye portion of. a wire link and to support the 1ink longitudinally upon the bed plateas shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This portion of the base plate is also provided with a cross groove c forming pockets to accommodate the lower ed e portion of the two teeth,6 of thejaw '7.., The jaw. 7 is hinged at 8 toapost 9 se-z longitudinally v and 'upon the bed plate, the two said teeth 6 and 7 being disposed downwardly from its forward end portion in alignment with the before mentioned recesses a and b in the top side of'the base plate. The teeth are in alignment with each other but are spaced apart forming a rounded shouldered portion 10 on the'under face of the forward end of the said jaw which'as will be seen from Figs. .1 and 2 serve to engage the free end portions of the wire link in a way to bend the same down against the loop portion of said link the teeth adapted to prevent outward bending of the link during such closing action. The jaw 7 is normally held in its raised or open position by means of a spring 11, positioned between it and the base plate, the

end portions said springs being engaged by aligned lugs 12*12 one upon the base and the other upon the jaw.

The jaw is further supported and guided by two vertically disposed bearing posts 1313 which may be secured to or formed integral with the base plate and disposed up from each side thereof and in alignment with each other, so that their upper end portions which form the bearings extend above the j aw and in position to receive the shaft 14 upon which a cam 15 is'rockably mounted. This cam may be provided with a hole 16 as shown to receive a detachable operating handle 17 whereby the cam is rotated in one direction to close'the jaw against the action of the spring,and turned in the reverse direction to release the jaw and permit the spring to open the same to itsnorinal position as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and link of the class shown in the drawings may be closed by positioning it in the device as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the body portionof the link resting in the grooves of the base plate and the free end portions of the eye disposed forward in position to be engaged by the should r portion 10 or the jaw which serves to engage the said wire ends and force them down to close the eye of the link by the operation of earn 15. I have preferably shown the chain-link positioned in the device, unattached to a chain though it will be obvious of course that most link closing operations or" this sort would be re same will enter the eye in a way to spread and open the same from the body portion of the wire link for the purpose of opening the said eye. In performing this operation the link can be positioned in the device as shown in Fig. 3, or the loop portionniay be disposed in an opposite'direction in which case the opposite tooth a would operate upon the eye of the link instead of the tooth Z). The operation, however, in both instances is the same and is very simple and etiective.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

In a wire chain link opening and closing device oi the character described, the combination with a base n'ieinber adapted to support a wire link of the character having parallel side portions and end portions looped upon theside portions in parallel vertical planes, said base having parallel grooves adapted to receive the parallel side portions of the links, and aligned grooves at right angles to and extending outwardly from said parallel grooves, a jaw, one end of which is hingedly attached to said base and the other end of which comprises a pair of spaced projections extending toward the base in substantially adjacent relation to the outer edges of said parallel grooves, their edges adapted upon closing of the jaws to engage said aligned grooves, the inner sides of said projections being parallel with each other, and a loop bending portion disposed between said projections, its loop engaging suri'ace being at right angles to the inner parallel surfaces of said projections and in spaced relation to the lower ends thereof, andrneans for moving the jaw toward the base under pressure whereby the loops of the link are closed by said loop bending portion and are prevented from outward movement by said projections.

Signed at Waterbury in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut this 12th day of April, A. D. 1922.

FREDERICK A. CALKINS. Witnesses:

N. J. HoLooMB, J. S. BAUER. 

